Tiny House Living

 I have been obsessed with tiny houses (and tiny cars) for a very long time. Ever since I've seen a smart car, seating a whopping two people and taking up so little space, I just really wanted to drive one. As far as the tiny houses, I am simply fascinated by the idea of scaling everything down, paring possessions to bare essentials, occupying less space.

My previous house was close to 4000 square feet, sprawled over three stories, plentiful bedrooms, bathrooms, large open-plan kitchen with two of everything. My current house is about 1500 square feet. If I divide it by six daily occupants, I get 250 sq. feet per person. If I include my husband's occupancy, I get 214 sq. feet. These numbers are on par of tiny house square footage. But the current house we are in is not so tiny.

If I am living in a less than dreamy version of a tiny house, why am I still browsing those books? I do it to get ideas and inspiration. Currently, I am using my crockpot as an additional oven to bake stuffed cabbage. I set up a table in the living room as an overflow counter for pre yom tov cooking and baking.

I also learned which things I cannot compromise on. I need two fridges because we go through an insane amount of gallons of milk. I need a full-size washer and dryer because I much rather do fewer large loads than throw some clothes in every day. I will sacrifice cabinet space for a dishwasher, and, hypothetically, two of them. I need to have a creative space where my projects and supplies can sprawl out and not be cleaned up every day.

I am moving from making this small space work to enjoying it and claiming it as my own. Our house will not be featured anywhere, but it is comfortable and cozy enough.

Bar Keeper's Friend

 I have discovered a new cleaning remedy, rather, finally bought it and started using it. It is called Bar Keeper's Friend. It's a white powder that comes in a cylindrical container that looks a whole lot like Comet (does anyone even use Comet any more?) I have joked with my husband that it is probably Comet, rebranded to look hipper. This white powder is magic. It removes stains, burnt-on grease, funky deposits. It made my stainless steel frying pan look like new. It removes scuff marks off the ceramic cooktop. It made my sink gleam and shine like a commercial.

Look at this! What's not to like? Why have I not bought this product sooner? Tell your friends!

Except that I happen to know myself. Housekeeping and keeping a clean pristine sparkly shiny house is nowhere on my list of priorities. I clean and get kids to clean once a week, for shabbos. Some of my kids complain that even that is too much. I have no problem going to sleep with a sink full of dirty dishes, mask-making scraps all over the floor, living room not straightened up. Nobody is visiting, nobody had come over in months, so there is no external need to clean that I can pin it on.

Where is this urge to clean coming from? 

I have learned that whenever I end up super-focusing on keeping external in order, even going to the extremes, the cause is the things that I cannot control. I cannot control Corona. I cannot control my kids from getting coughs, colds, fevers. I cannot control what other parents do about their kids, whether they are just as scrupulous about masks and exposure as I am. I cannot control this year's Rosh HaShana experience, neither for myself nor for the kids. Yesterday the power went out for a bit, and I could not get a head start on dinner on that gleaming electric stove. 

I am spinning further and further in the world where there are things I cannot control. But I can polish that stupid bit of sink, burn off those stains, vacuum up those cloth clippings. Do those things make me feel better? Are they a healthy sublimation of frustration? Better to focus on the things that I can fret over myself instead of suddenly coming down on my kids with high cleaning standards.

I have been thinking how Rosh HaShanah is almost here but I am involved in Pesach-like activity of cleaning and burning. For recognizing that Hashem is the One in charge (and I am not), I might be doing quite well. Then I wonder whether substituting external cleaning for internal reflection is not exactly where the spirit of the day lies. But this cleaning spree resulted in me thinking and pondering how I arrived here, jolted me awake from survival slumber.

So buy Bar Keeper's Friend and see where it lands you.